Asparagus with Lemon Zest and Pine Nuts

My mom has always been wonderful about buying in-season, local foods. She was hip, before hip was cool.

As a kid we’d eat fresh vegetables either out of our garden or someone else's. And when spring rolled around there were always plenty of asparagus to go around. Mom would generally steam the stalks just long enough for them to turn a bright green, then she would drizzle with butter and toasted bread crumbs. Yum!

Did you know that the proper way to eat asparagus stalks is with your fingers? Yes siree Bob. I learned this little tid bit from Elizabeth Taylor. I’m not sure what the interview was about or why asparagus came up, but she taught me that it was okay to use my fingers. And as a kid, that was just one more plus for the green veggie. So whether you are at a fine dining establishment or sitting around your family dinner table you can use your fingers. Now if the stalks are not firm, or cut into pieces in a messy sauce, I’d advise you to use your fork, but otherwise dig on in with your hands.

Soph made the above asparagus one night as a side to some yummy turkey meatballs that Em made. Okay, I’ll admit it I cooked nothing. I sipped my wine and watched my girls do their thing and thought, “You are one lucky lady to have not one, but three awesome daughters who like to cook.”  I pretty sure I cleaned the dishes, but the dinner was so wonderful I didn’t mind that one bit.

Sophie’s Asparagus

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Set the oven temp to 350. After rinsing asparagus pat dry and lay in one layer on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, or if you have it Meyer Lemon Olive Oil (this to me is heavenly). You can pour some oil into a bowl and brush it on if you want a more even coating. Sprinkle with pine nuts (a handful) and zest some lemon peel over the top. Place in the oven for about 8 to 12 minutes. You want to take it out as it turns a bright green. The stalks should be somewhat firm, but not hard.

 

So easy, and so good. Next week I’ll give you the recipe for Em’s turkey meatballs. They were melt in your mouth good.

This dinner received 4 smiles. We are working on the five year old, that for some reason won’t even look at asparagus. She doesn’t want to talk about it, so I don’t ask.

What is your favorite way to eat asparagus?

Love,

The Conflicted Chef

Inspirational Monday- Kim Osborne and Hope For Savannah

 

This post has been a long time coming. I interviewed Kim right before I started dealing with some health issues. I have to apologize to Kim for it taking me a few months to get this up. But I am so thrilled I have the opportunity to share with my readers such an inspiring lady and her organization!

First I’d like to tell you that I got to know Kim through a dear friend of mine. Before I became friends with her on FB I had heard amazing stories about her from our mutual friend. I ended up buying some homeschool curriculum from her and friending her on Facebook. What a gift it was. I’m able to keep up with all she does, especially Hope for Savannah, the organization that helps not only cancer patients, but their entire family. Their mission is:

“ to provide hope and comfort to cancer patients and their families through an intentional outreach driven by our web site and support programs”.

When Kim and I talked one of the first things she said was, “This organization is not about me. It’s about what we can do as Christians.” She went on to say that she didn’t set out to start this organization but that “God ignited a passion in her heart. And when He does that, it changes everything.” Kim will be the first to tell you she has no prior experience with a non-profit organization, no business training. But, as I've watched this organization grow and have seen all the outreach programs they have established it is hard to believe Kim has never done this before. One of the reason she inspires me is that it is easy to see that she is doing what God intended for her to do. She has followed her passion faithfully.

That passion was born from her best friend who was diagnosed with, and eventually died from ovarian cancer. As she watched her friend suffer she wanted to help, but had no idea what to do. She credits this experience with bringing her to Christ. Years later her young son would be diagnosed with cancer. She describes this time as “horrific”, but was amazed by the ways God was constantly speaking to her and her family.

As I speak with Kim I am touched and inspired by her strong faith. She works everyday with families that are suffering terrific burdens, she sees children suffer and die from a terrible disease, and yet her faith remains strong. She hopes others will see God reflected in the work that Hope For Savannah does, and I have no doubt that as you learn all they do you will see His amazing grace at work.

I could go on and on about everything this organization accomplishes, but instead I’d like for you to go to their website and see for yourself. I can not do it justice.

I asked Kim what someone  can do to help, even if they are not in the Savannah area. She told me one of her passions is to create pages on Hope’s website where people with all different kinds of cancers can go for resources. So if you or a loved one  has been diagnosed with cancer she would love for you to share any resources you have gathered about the disease and treatment. Also, if you can share the YouTube videos they have created. They, in themselves, are inspiring and fill you with hope.

I’m going to leave you with one of those videos. Thank you Kim for having the courage to follow God’s plan for you. Hope for Savannah is making a difference in so many peoples lives!

Why I Cut My Man’s Hair And Other Random Things

I’ve neglected my blog. I’ve been away and if I could I would give you a long detailed excuse for my absence, but that would require lots of typing. And typing requires the use of my hands, and my hands hurt. So quickly I will say first, I was without the internet, due to us cutting the wire while installing our sprinkler system. But on top of that I’ve been battling lots of crazy aches and pains the last few months. Bottom line is my hypothyroid decided to work even less, causing my meds to become ineffective. On top of that my B-12 dropped to dangerously low levels causing a whole other set of issues, most significant is my hands going numb, and crazy pain when I try to use them for more then a few minutes at a time. This includes holding the phone. I’m not sure what a gal like me is to do when she can’t type and she can’t use the phone!

Anyway, I have real cool interviews, book reviews, and many Conflicted Chef posts piling up in my head. I’m thinking of hiring my oldest daughter to type for me so I can catch up. Well, I will do that as soon as she gets back from Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Yes, the little stinker is in Hawaii with her grandparents for her 12 year old trip and I’m hopelessly lost without her!

So I apologize for my neglect and I hope to be back on track soon. And I’d like to leave you with a marriage tip, haven’t had one of those in awhile.

Marriage Tip 267- Cut Your Husband’s Hair- When WB asked me to start cutting his hair soon after we were married I was terrified. I had no experience in such things. But then I remembered that scene in Her Alibi with Tom Selleck and Paulina Porizkova.

And I thought, this could be fun! So spice up your marriage a little and cut your husbands hair. Believe me, he’ll overlook your lack of talent in the hair styling department and you may find yourself cutting his hair for years to come.

Conflicted Chef- Fast Chipotle Buffalo Chicken Wraps

This week my two oldest daughters helped make the menu for the week. One was in charge of lunches and the other dinner. Sophie, my middle daughter, actually picked out the chicken wrap for lunch, but we had it as a quick dinner one night. It was a an easy and fast dinner to throw together on one of those nights that everyone doesn’t get home from their activities until later.

Sometimes on these nights it is easy to succumb to the “lets just pick up some dinner” on the way home. But those dinners are never the healthiest and always more pricey then what I can make at home. That’s why I love when we make these weekly menus out. We look over our plans and find easy, quick dinners to make on the nights we have activities. When we have a plan of action we can stay on track! Something my little family is trying really hard to do. So without further ado here is how they are made:


These are the 4 ingredients for the Chipotle Buffalo sauce.

-2 TBLS Chipotle Crushed Sauce
-1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
-2 TBLS Cholula Hot Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
-3 TBLS White Vinegar
Whisk all together and set aside.

For the Blue Cheese Dressing:
-2 TBLS reduced-fat mayo
-2 TBLS nonfat plain yogurt
-ground pepper to taste
-1/4 cup crumbled Blue cheese
-1 TBLS vinegar
Whisk together in another bowl and put in the refrigerator.

Next you need about 3 split chicken breasts and cut them into 1 inch strips. Heat  a skillet with 2 teaspoons olive oil and cook the chicken over med-high heat until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes per side.


Topping for the wrap :

Take whole-wheat tortillas and warm in microwave for about 10 seconds. I’m a family of five so I do five at a time. Dice up a large tomato or cut in half several cherry tomatoes, along with some shredded lettuce, and celery. My family likes the spring mix so we put that on everything.

Now to assemble the wrap:

Place warm tortilla on plate, spread 1 spoonful of Blue cheese dressing, top with 3 or 4 slices chicken, lettuce, celery, and tomato. Drizzle with some remaining hot sauce and roll. –inspired by a recipe we found at Eating Well



The verdict from the family was it was very yummy, but my kids didn’t really care for the Blue cheese. They tried it, but decided it was too strong.  A lite ranch dressing would be a yummy alternative as well as maybe trying a cheese like feta, instead of the blue cheese, in the dressing. I feel I need to be completely honest and tell you my 4 year old preferred her chicken without the hot sauce so I set a few pieces aside for her after they were cooked. Also, my husband is staying away from flour products so he ate his like a salad.

Aside from the Blue Cheese everyone gave it 5 stars. We served it along with some blackberries that were on sale at the grocery and everyone was happy. For a late night dinner this was the perfect amount of food, or it would be the perfect lunch!

What does you family like to do for those crazy nights when you don’t get home until late?

Busy Week and a Wildflower Photo Winner!

So I’ve been missing in action again! As you know the wildflowers in Texas are blooming and we have been taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather to traipse across Texas so WB could take his pictures.  We’ve had so much fun finding beautiful spots and waiting on the light to illuminate the flowers in all their glory.

Thanks everyone who entered the Wildflower Picture Give Away and checked out my husbands photography blog. He loved all your sweet comments! I picked the winner (by putting all the entries in a hat) and a big congrats to Marcy Kennedy. I’ll be in touch Marcy, be thinking of which photo you’d like to have. And if you didn’t win, you can buy pictures straight from WB’s site. Nice advertising plug I just slipped in there, sorry couldn’t help myself.
The other thing that is keeping me busy, is my baby is turning 5 in 5 days! She likes to ask every 10 minutes or so “What were you doing right now 5 years ago?” So I found a picture this morning of what her sisters and I were doing 5 years ago.

We have a whole week of celebrating planned. Yes, we celebrate it up around here. That, and I feel a little guilty that she doesn’t have any friends here, yet, that are her age. So instead of a party with a bunch of giggling 5 year olds we’ll be celebrating with family. Which really isn’t bad thing at all. But I’m trying to get all the festivities planned and there just never seems to be enough hours in the day. If I could just figure out a way to go without sleep!
But I plan on having a Conflicted Chef post up tomorrow. One thing I can always count on us doing around here is eating!
So just curious how many hours of sleep do you need each night?

Okay, I am so scatter-brained I announced the WRONG winner! The actual winner is Ginger Calem!! My brain is really taking a vacation, obviously I still need more sleep.  But Marcy if you like the pictures I'll send you one too, just let me know which one:)

Conflicted Chef- Emma’s Breakfast Sandwiches

I posted this a few years ago on another blog, that I had devoted to life at Cotton-Top Hills. But we moved last May and I no longer keep that blog up. To tell you the truth I still have a hard time saying “Cotton-Top Hills” without crying, but I’m getting better. But these sandwiches are worth repeating. They are super yummy and very easy!
My twelve year old is on her way to culinary school.  Okay, not quite yet, but it’s where she wants to go someday.  She cooks for us constantly and is thinking up new twists on everyday recipes.  This breakfast sandwich recipe was derived from a sandwich she had at a little restaurant in Galveston, The Lunch Box cafe.
For bread she likes to use baguette, but we use whatever bread we have around. This morning mine was on English Muffin. First toast the bread.  Spread honey over both slices and natural peanut butter on one slice.  Top the peanut butter side with blueberries. Top the other slice with sliced strawberries and walnuts.  You could use pecans, but we had walnuts today. Put the two slices together and enjoy.  It really is very yummy and nutritious, not to mention easy!

That’s it. And it always gets 5 stars in my house. Of course the hubby needs some sort of meat with it usually or a protein shake. I, personally, am good with the peanut butter and nuts fulfilling my protein source. But to each his own!

What’s your favorite breakfast sandwich? And don't forget to enter my Wildflower Canvas Photo give-away. I'll pick the winner on Monday morning!

Wildflowers In Texas And A Give Away!

This weekend we headed towards the hill country. It’s where my husband grew up and his parents still live. It is also one of my favorite places, especially in the spring when the Bluebonnets and all the wildflowers are blooming. We love to travel off the main route, leave the highways behind and meander down the back roads. I feel so at home on these winding country roads spotted with old barns, churches that were built over a 100 years ago, and the occasional deer bounding across your path.

WB is a an engineer by day. He works in absolutes, chemical equations, numbers, and solid lines. But when you put a camera in his hand, or a wood-working tool, or a sketch pad suddenly he is transformed into this artistic being. He has an artistic eye that has been honed by his analytical self. The combination of the two are quite impressive, if not a little odd.

So as we meandered down these back roads , WB took beautiful pictures of the wildflowers. My children and 16 year old dog patiently rode along and didn’t complain too much that the 2 1/2 hour trip that turned into a 4 hour one. After all, WB had taken a sabbatical of sorts from the photography world soon after my second was born. Cameras and lenses are expensive, and the time you put into taking and editing photos is time consuming. He used his artistic talents in other ways and sold his lenses to pay for things like braces, and music lessons.

I’d love for you to go check out his photography blog and look at some of the fabulous pictures from this weekend. If you’ve never been to Texas in the spring you are in for a real treat. And just to sweeten the deal go look and come back here and tell me one of your favorite pictures. Your comment will enter you into a drawing to receive a free  8 X 10 canvas wrapped wildflower photo taken by my husband, photographer extraordinaire! Did I tell you he’s had his work published in magazines? Yep he has, being a writer I get really excited telling people he is a published photographer. I’m not sure he gets as giddy about it, in fact he may be embarrassed I even mentioned it. Sorry, hon.

The two links to his two posts on the wildflowers are here and here.

Okay, here’s how to enter the contest:

• Go to Scott’s website and come back here and tell me your favorite photo. (1 entry)
• Leave a comment on his blog, he would love that. ( 1 entry)
• Tweet it, just let me know you did in your comment. (1 entry)
• Share on FB, again let me know you did. (1 entry)

If you leave a comment as anonymous, because you don’t have an account, just make sure I know who you are and have a way to get in touch with you. If you have any problems leaving comments send me an e-mail and I’ll help you out.

The contest will end next Monday at 8:00 am. Good luck and thanks for supporting WB!

Do you have a favorite wildflower and what grows in your area?